Days Without the Guard
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: Hunters are attacking vampires all over the world. Demetri and Felix are trapped in the United States and the Volturi don't want them to return until everything is safe.
1. Chapter 1

He ran.

It was in the middle of the night and he was running for his life. There was nothing else for him to do. He had made a mistake and now he was paying for it. Life as a Guard was not what it was all cracked up to be. When he messed up, he had to own up to it. Well, owning up to it this time had nearly cost him his life and his job.

If his heart worked, it would be pounding. His breath would be coming out in gasps and he would feel like he was ready to collapse. As it was, his heart didn't work, he wasn't winded and he wasn't tired. But he couldn't run at full speed. He wasn't healing and that was a problem. Healing immediately was something he needed right now. It could also be related to the fact that he was very hungry.

He could hear multiple heartbeats as he ran and he was tracking all those minds at the same time, but there was nothing he could do. He had to find a safe place to lie low and heal. The sun was coming up and he couldn't break that rule. He'd already broken one that could lead to his death; breaking another would certainly kill him. But there was no way he could hide without them finding him.

Normally Demetri wasn't scared of humans, but these humans were ruthless. They were great shots if the bullets in his side and arrow going through his leg could determine anything. Being as weak as he was he had to figure out something or they would catch him.

Behind him there was a loud crash. He had to quit dawdling and find a place to lay low. He rounded the corner and dropped to his knee. The arrow in his leg was putting pressure on his artery. It felt like the glass of his body was about to snap. Stopping long enough to snap the arrowhead, he pulled the shaft from his leg and sighed as he felt his body start to repair itself.

But the humans weren't giving up. He had to move once again. This time his leg wasn't protesting every movement he made. As he continued to find a spot where he could stop, he wished his partner were with him. Felix had already taken shelter for the day a couple of cities back. He had already been shot and Demetri figured he was already healed. He should have done the same thing but they had a job to do. He wanted to get home. Now he wasn't leaving any time soon.

The humans caught up to him. He felt the bullet whiz past his head. He turned into the next alley and stopped. He had to go over the roof to get away. He turned to run out so he didn't have but they were there. He did a one eighty and prepared to go up when he felt something bite into his shoulder blade. His skin healed immediately but that didn't matter.

He was about to kill them all when someone dropped from the roof above him. The hunters stopped and began to babble incoherently. Demetri turned fully when he realized it was a guy who had stopped the group of hunters. Another one stepped around the corner and blocked the others into the alley. The one in the alley with him started for them, backing them into the street. The other walked past them and up to him. He had no idea what was going on but he was prepared to fight if he needed to.

Geary watched the brunette as he prepared to come after her if she posed a threat. She really didn't pose a threat. She couldn't do it if she wanted to. It went against everything she had sworn to uphold. Jeremy had the hunters under control. She just had to earn a little bit of trust from the guy in front of her.

She looked closely. His body was turned in a defensive position but the gold chain was visible. He was a member of the Volturi. She had to show him she was on his side. With one hand raised in surrender, she raised one of her sleeves and presented the mark on her arm. She watched his eyes widen.

"They're gone," Jeremy said. He looked to the east and sighed. "We need to get back."

"I know." She looked at the man. "We have a place for you to rest and eat. I don't think you want to be caught out here in when the sun rises. You might attract even more attention than you did tonight."

"Who are you?" Demetri asked.

"I'm Margery Maetenopoulos, but everyone calls me Geary. This is Jeremy Dounas. We run Sanctuary a couple of blocks up. You're welcome to come with us. You'll be safe there as you heal and get back up to strength."

"If you don't, you'll be caught out in the sun," Jeremy replied. "From what we hear, your partner's already taken cover for the day."

"How do you know?"

"We'll explain if you come with us. I don't think the Volturi would want their best tracker to die because he forgot one stupid law." Geary raised her eyebrows at him. She knew she had him when he looked to the east. "Good. We have a tinted car. Come with us."

Demetri really didn't have a choice but to follow them. They looked to be normal humans but the Volturi crest as burned onto their skin. Aro knew about them but left them to their own devices. They ran a place that was sanctuary to vampires who were running for their lives, needed a place to hide during the day, or just wanted to live in harmony with humans. The Volturi liked the idea and had many open around the world. It was just for show though. They used it primarily to keep up with all the vampires who usually caused problems.

He watched as Jeremy handled the car with ease. Geary sat in the front seat and talked about something that made absolutely no sense to Demetri. The other man obviously understood because he answered with ease as he navigated the early morning traffic. They were talking about a couple known as Miguel and Sarah and were very concerned about them.

"I don't mean to be rude, but how do you know the Volturi?" Demetri asked.

"You didn't think the Guard was as sinless as any human did you?" Jeremy asked as he pulled up to a building. He reached out the window and punched in a code. The doors slid open and he drove through.

"We're children of a member of the Volturi Guard and a human. When the Cullens came out with their hybrid child, we came out as well. Aro granted us life and the run of Sanctuary. We run it as we see fit, but we uphold the Law. Also we can guard a vampire from the Volturi. No one wants to kill their child so we have a sort of immunity to the Guard."

"The people that work under us are also hybrids. We keep a very strict control on the males since they are venomous. The females have an easier time because they can control their appetites," Geary replied.

She turned in the front seat to look at him. "You're wondering which members of the Volturi are our fathers."

Demetri looked stunned. Jeremy pulled into a parking spot and shut off the car. "Gear, don't terrorize him. You're always the one telling us we have to work with the others that come in."

"Yes, but it's not every day we get a member of the Guard in Sanctuary. I know he's curious."

Jeremy opened the back door so Demetri could get out. Apparently it was like a door on a police car. It only opened from the outside. He climbed out and followed Jeremy around the car. The guy had the power of telekinesis. If he didn't, there was no way the door would close without someone touching it.

They followed Geary into the building. There were windows so he could see the sun coming over the horizon. His skin started sparkling due to the light. Geary was walking with a purpose. Everyone who came in contact with them stood straight and waited until they passed. It felt like he was back in Volterra.

Jeremy held a door open and he brushed by him. Geary walked around the massive table in the room and hit something on the console. A screen came down from the ceiling and the projector emerged from the table. The entire place was high tech. Jeremy had to put in a code before the screen lit up. He was surprised when Aro's face popped up on the screen.

"Margeary! Jeremy! It's good to see you again!" the leader of the Volturi exclaimed a little too happily.

The two didn't look too thrilled. "Where did you still the equipment from?" Jeremy asked.

Aro tsked on the other end. "Now is that any way to talk to your lord?"

"Fortunately for me I don't have to listen to you very often." They had a staring match for a little bit. Unfortunately, Jeremy couldn't keep a straight face to save his life. He cracked up instantly."You should really see your face."

Geary slapped him on the shoulder and shoved him backwards all in the same move. Aro's eyes widened minutely but Demetri could tell the leader of the Volturi was impressed and slightly shocked. Not many vampires acted like this in front of the leaders of the vampire nation.

"We were alerted to two members of the Volturi in Los Angeles. One went into hiding before dawn. The other was chased by hunters. We grabbed him and he's now with us," she said.

Aro looked thoughtful which could mean two completely different things. Demetri figured he was thoughtful because something akin to what happened to him tracker was happening in Volterra. Luckily, Geary and Jeremy were patient as they stared at the screen. Many different emotions flitted across Aro's face in a span of thirty seconds but the two were relaxed as they leaned against the table.

"You have Felix and Demetri in your city?" he asked. They nodded. "Felix is safe?" Another nod. "I am grateful they are safe but I cannot bring them back just yet."

"Are hunters attacking Volterra?" Jeremy asked.

The vampire nodded. "As well as other major covens around the world."

The two looked at each other. "That's only two or three others, including the Cullens and the Denali."

Geary nodded. "Have you gotten any sort of note from them? Or has it been attacks on the people?"

"No, there have been none on the Guard, but we did receive a note the other day. It's in a language we can't decipher and we're older than all humans."

Jeremy frowned. "There shouldn't be too many people who know ancient languages. What do you want us to do?"

"Hold my Guard. I will send you word about where to meet us."

"Do you mind if we utilize their talents as our own?" Geary asked. "We're severely short staffed right now since you jerked our last member away and killed him."

Aro crossed his arms. "He shouldn't have killed that woman in broad day light."

"It was an accident!" the answered at the same time.

Geary waved her hand. "Never mind that. Can we use him or not?"

"Do as you please. I will receive him in the same condition as you found him."

Jeremy nodded. "Okay. We'll return him, bullet wounds and all."

Aro wasn't happy but he couldn't say anything because he had opened his mouth. "Very well. If you have trouble, feel free to call me."

He was gone before they could rebuke needing his help. Jeremy looked at Geary and nodded. They were of the same mind.

"Why don't you get some sleep, Gear?" Jeremy said. "You've been up thirty-six hours. Unlike vampires, we need sleep sometimes. I'll handle getting him settled in."

Geary stared at Demetri for a long moment. He noticed her eyes weren't gold or crimson. They were a sea green. And they were tired. She tucked an auburn strand of hair behind her ear and sighed. With a nod, she turned and walked out of the room. Jeremy watched his expression closely then laughed at him. He didn't say anything as he led him down the hall to another room.

"This is your place. We'll work on getting your friend here as well. He'll room with you since he's full vampire. Also you might want to change your clothes."

Demetri looked down. "What's wrong with what I have on?"

"People will be afraid of you. We don't need that. We can easily get your measurements and get clothes for you."

The member of the Guard didn't have a choice but to agree. He was cut off from his masters and home. He had to stay alive. As Jeremy walked away, he looked around the room. This was home for now.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** It's taken me a little bit to figure out how I wanted this story to go. I know who Geary's father is but I'm working on Jeremy.

(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)(%)

Demetri looked at his reflection in the mirror. Dressed in a white button up and jeans, he looked completely different than he would if he was at work. He was used to dressy clothes but this was dressed down. He kind of liked it more than he did his suits and ties. The shoes they had given him were even more comfortable than his dress shoes. He figured once he got back home he'd invest heavily in several pairs.

There was a knock at his door. It was a human by the smell. He carefully opened the door so it wouldn't be ripped from the hinges. This door was a lot lighter than the ones they had back home. The human in the hallway stared at him in complete and utter shock. Demetri stared right back. It took a full two minutes for the staring contest to finish. The human smiled weakly then turned around in the hallway. She beckoned him to follow her.

As they walked down the hall, Demetri was highly aware of people staring at him. Jeremy and Geary said this place was a sanctuary for hybrids like them, but humans also worked there. It was a way to get humans and vampires to live in harmony it seemed. A few of the hybrids were around as well and they stared at him. He didn't mind them so much. They weren't going to attack him because that was against Sanctuary's rules. Plus he didn't want to have to assert some authority.

Jeremy popped up out of nowhere. He fell into step with him and they walked quietly down the hall. With the hybrid by his side, no one said a word and kept their eyes averted. Something about Jeremy put them on edge. They didn't say much to him and it seemed that was the way he liked it. It reminded him of Marcus and Aro. They were just too much alike for him not to notice.

The young hybrid snorted as he walked into what looked like a bar. Demetri hadn't noticed his surroundings when he walked in. All he remembered was a white hallway and the conference room. He had no idea they had been on the second floor. Then again he was in a basement parking garage and an elevator. He hadn't paid much attention.

Jeremy slid onto a barstool. The girl behind the bar smiled and slid him a glass with some random liquid. He downed half the contents before he took a breath. The girl looked at Demetri expectantly. Jeremy followed her gaze then slid his finger along his pulse on his wrist. She understood completely and turned around. When she turned back, she tossed a blood bag on the bar.

"It's not the same the blood you get from a human you coerce but it's all we can do while you're here. It's either bagged blood or animal blood," Jeremy said. "Take your pick."

"This will be fine," Demetri replied. He ripped the bag open with his teeth and drank it down. He didn't realize how thirsty he was. By the time he was finished with the first bag, the girl had already slid another one to him. "Thanks."

"Where did you find him, Jer?" the girl asked.

"He was attacked by the hunters we've been dealing with," Jeremy replied. "Have you tracked down their location yet, Dalia?"

She shook her head. "I need something of theirs to slip a chip. After that it will take two seconds to program then we're running."

Jeremy sighed. "I guess that means we have to stage an attack."

"This isn't just a sanctuary is it?" Demetri asked suddenly. The two looked at him. "Well, you just said that you were going to stage an attack on a group of hunters. That doesn't sound like a normal sanctuary to me."

"The core group that runs this place is highly trained in combat. Jeremy knows military operations like the back of his hand, Geary's an expert hacker and techno geek, I'm a techno geek as well but I design and operate our defense and offense mechanisms. Brian trains some of the young ones in self-defense, but he's a weapons expert. Then there's Darien and Candace. They're our undercover agents. They won't be in until tonight," Dalia said.

"How did you meet?"

"Dalia's my sister," Jeremy said.

Demetri dropped the newest bag from his lips. He could see it now that he looked closely at them. They had the same chestnut hair and blue eyes. Their builds were somewhat alike as well. Jeremy was obviously bigger because he was male, but no one should underestimate Dalia. She was lean and bulked with muscle.

"No wonder she doesn't turn away from you," he said.

Dalia laughed. "Jer does have an air about him, but he's not all that bad. He's been alive a lot longer than the rest of us so he tends to live in the past."

Demetri looked at Jeremy. "How old are you anyway?"

"I was born in 1818."

"So you're a hundred and ninety-five years old. How old is Geary?"

"Two hundred and ten. We were raised in the same village."

"You were there when the Greeks won their independence." Jeremy nodded. "How old were you when you left?"

"We were in our forties. By that time Dalia had come so we took her with us."

"Actually that's not true," Dalia interrupted. "Yes, I'm thirty years younger than Jeremy, but he didn't force me to come. Our mother died so I had a choice."

"How old was your mother when she had you?"

"She was thirteen when I was born," Jeremy replied. "It wasn't common anymore but she didn't give me up. When Dalia came thirty years later, she was older but it wasn't uncommon. She was also sick."

"Did she know what your father was?" Demetri watched their reactions closely. "You don't have to answer. Sometimes I don't understand when to be quiet."

"Dad told her. He had to after I grew up in a year. He didn't come around for a while and when he did, well…" He motioned to Dalia behind the bar. "Then it was the three of us."

"Were you nomads?"

"No, we immigrated to the United States and set up shop." Jeremy turned around just as Geary walked up to the bar. She placed a hand on the smooth surface and jumped, clearing the top without her heels smacking it. She walked right over to the fridge and rummaged through it.

"I thought you were going to sleep late," Dalia said.

"I tried but I had this bad feeling that something was going to happen so I got up," Geary replied. She popped something into the microwave then turned her attention to Demetri. "Are you settled in?"

"Define settled in," he replied.

"It takes some getting used to." She turned around and pulled something that smelled good from the fridge. "Have you heard from Candace and Darien?"

"Not since yesterday," Dalia replied. "They were the ones who sent the word that a member of the Guard was being attacked. I don't know where they went this time. They don't want to be tracked. They said it would be harder for them to work."

"We're wanting to plan an attack," Jeremy said. Geary raised an eyebrow at him. "It's the only way we can get a trace on them."

"What are you planning on doing? Calling them out?"

"That's the exact plan we were going for."

Geary stared at her friends as she finished off her meal. It made Demetri a little unnerved because no one should have that look. When she was finished, she turned around and washed her plate. Once again she jumped over the bar and headed out the door. Someone came through it about the time she reached it. They shared a quiet conversation.

"Your friend's being transferred. We'll meet them in the basement since the sun hasn't gone down yet," she said.

Jeremy vacated his seat and moved across the room quickly. He and Geary shared a look before walking out the door together. Dalia jumped the bar and followed them. Demetri brought up the rear. Felix was being transferred but by what? Tinted car? They weren't the best at hiding their hunger and Felix was worse than he was. If he was hungry, he was going to be harder to control. With a second thought, he went back to the fridge and grabbed a couple of blood bags.

When they got to the basement, there was a dark green SUV parked in the middle of the aisle. Geary was talking to the driver as Jeremy walked to the back passenger door and opened it. Felix was easy to spot. He was the tallest one out of everyone. Demetri could see his eyes were black. Geary was still talking as Jeremy led the hulking vampire back towards them.

Demetri tilted his head in confusion as Felix stopped by the female hybrid. He literally pulled Jeremy to a stop beside him considering the younger man had a hand on his arm. Something passed between Felix and Geary. The woman scowled then finished up her conversation. She shook the hand of the man then turned away from him.

"How did they treat you?" Demetri asked as he handed his companion a blood bag.

"Better than I heard they treated you," Felix replied seconds before he ripped the bag open.

"I haven't had a bad time actually. They're really organized. Geary and Jeremy have the run of the place. Everyone treats them with the utmost respect. I also found out that their fathers are members of the Guard." Felix looked at him sharply. It was quite comical since he had the bag sticking out of his mouth. "I don't know who they are though. I'm not interested enough to ask."

"Are you interested in the girl?"

Demetri had to think about that for a minute. Geary had piqued his interest the first time he'd seen her. Now he knew that she was a child of the Guard he wondered if she knew. If she did, he'd tell her father that he wanted to court her. It was the first time he actually wanted to hang out with a hybrid. If he was still human, he would have already said what his intentions were.

"I don't know much about her."

"We'll be here a few days. Why not get used to how she runs the place then ask if you can help?"

"Are you actually supporting your partner in his quest for female companionship? This is a first."

"Well the last time you wanted to find a girl to pass the time, you lost your mind and changed her. She hated you after that, but Aro wanted her. Now she's in the Guard and you see her all the time."

"Yes, Kisan was one of the ones I regret."

"I told you not to do it."

The shorter vampire nodded. "I've never seen you with a woman. How do you deal with the masses?"

"I don't go out like you do."

"Sure you do. You just don't bring them home."

"You'll eat them. You always do."

They slipped into silence as they followed the three hybrids. Jeremy and Dalia were discussing the attack they wanted to work on as Geary kept quiet. Her hands were stuffed into the pockets of her jacket as she walked. They went into the conference room where Dalia went to work playing on the computer. Jeremy made a motion with his hand and immediately Felix stripped.

"Nice to see you bark when they say bark," Demetri said.

"Shut up," Geary commanded and he went silent.

Jeremy ran his fingers swiftly over Felix's chest and back. He pressed his fingertips into every plane in view. He punched him once and Felix didn't flinch. Jeremy was left shaking his hand in pain. When he was done, he patted the big guy on the back and the full vampire redressed.

"He's clean," Jeremy replied.

"Earlier this morning we contacted the Volturi. You're to remain here until further notice. We have permission to use your abilities how we see fit. There are a couple of rules here. You don't feed off humans and you work for your room. We run a bar on the first floor. You'll either be bartenders or waiters. It's your pick. The two of you will be rooming together," Geary said.

"You didn't pat me down when I got here," Demetri said.

"You were attacked when we got a hold of you. There was no need to pat you down. Felix came from a different facility. We have no way of knowing if he was bugged or not unless we patted him down."

"Have you rested?" Jeremy asked Felix.

The vampire nodded. "Yes, they treated me well. I was just hungry."

"It seems Demetri helped you with that. Now if you'll excuse us? We have something to discuss."

Jeremy and Dalia shared a look as Geary passed them. They knew what it was about and there wasn't room for them to argue. They just left the two in the conference room alone.

"What was that about?"

"Hunters attacked us, this you know. They're trying to convince Geary that they need to go on the offensive and track them down. She's not too sold on the idea," Demetri replied as he started out the door.

"It sounds like she runs the place."

"She does, hence the reason they have to sell the idea to her." He stopped in front of a door. "This is our room. You'll have to change out of your Guard uniform. I'm sure someone will figure out how to clothe your hulking size."

"You're not very funny."

Demetri smiled as he went into the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Two days had passed since Demetri had come into Sanctuary. After Felix had looked around their room and commented on how small it was, they had settled down to talk about what they thought was actually going on. Felix had said that hadn't been shot but had come close to it. Demetri showed him the bullet wounds that hadn't healed. They had no idea how that was possible since their body was like glass when it healed.

Determined to figure that out later, they had decided that it was better if Felix was the bartender and Demetri was a waiter. People would be discouraged by Felix's height. Demetri was a Casanova so he would be able to make the girls swoon and buy a drink or two. They had started work in the middle of the day and had worked until about eight. It was a really good thing that there were only two windows in the front two sections. Dalia always made sure someone else was working those two sections.

The hybrids worked like a well-oiled machine. Dalia dished out drinks left and right as she ordered the waitresses, waiters and cooks around. Jeremy and another bulky guy were bouncers who stood at the doorway and made sure everyone knew their place.

It was kind of surprising when Geary came in the bar about three in the afternoon. Dressed in jeans and an emerald tank, people called out to her by name. She smiled at them and asked if their meals were going well. When the responses were good, she grabbed an apron off the pegs, wrapped it around her waist, and started waiting tables.

Everything had been fine until a fight broke out around eleven o'clock. They had been off the clock but just hanging out because there was nothing else to do when a guy had grabbed at one of the waitresses. She had asked him nicely to let go twice but he wouldn't listen. They had figured out really quickly that the woman was a human. Jeremy and the other bouncer had been moving in from the sides, but they were too slow. The person, obviously not human, wouldn't let her go and had tightened his grip on her.

Demetri and Felix were about to get up and intervene when Geary had snatched the guy up from his seat and pried his hand from the girl's arm. The girl had run to Jeremy who had directed her to someone else just inside the doorway. Geary had had her hands buried in the man's collar by the time Jeremy and the other guy had appeared at her side.

"You know the rules of Sanctuary," she had said. "You may come here as long as you respect the people working. You don't lay your hands on my waitresses and you don't pick fights. You are hereby banned from Sanctuary on grounds of sexual harassment. Boys, get him out of here."

Jeremy and the guy had taken him by the arms and led him out the door. Geary had placated the rest of the customers and had gone right back to work. When the bar had closed down at two, her first priority had been the waitress. Dalia and Jeremy had taken to cleaning up. Obviously Jeremy normally wasn't someone who cleaned up but with Geary preoccupied, he had no choice.

When all the cleaning and orders for deliveries had been placed, a meeting had been called for the workers. For the first time in their lives, Demetri and Felix had to sit through a meeting. It hadn't been a normal meeting though.

Jeremy had explained why their actions had been so rough. Geary had explained part of the rules to the guy they had tossed but they weren't all of them. Another big one was the fact that if someone was granted asylum and trouble came with their name, they would be tossed. Everyone had looked at the vampires just then. They were the ones who could possibly bring trouble because of their names.

They had found out that about half of the staff was humans. Many of the hybrids worked upstairs in the security suite they ran. They were watching out over the city, making sure no unsuspecting human was bitten. Most of the hybrids were males who had a hard time controlling their hunger so they had to stay away from the humans.

After that little incident everything had been fine. Work wasn't too hard. There hadn't been any reason to raise any alarms. Geary and Jeremy hadn't been at odds anymore since the task of bugging the hunters had gone off without a hitch. They had staged an attack just so Dalia could slip a bug into one of the guys' walkie talkies. They had been tracking them ever since.

Since everything was just brilliant, Demetri was bored. He tried talking to some of the hybrids about their security system but they were all tightlipped. He wanted to take on an extra shift but Dalia wouldn't let him. He wanted to be a bouncer but Jeremy steadfastly refused. Without something to do, he was going stir crazy. At least when he was with the Guard, he had something to do.

He dropped a book on the table and left the library. Felix had disappeared when the sun had risen and he wanted to know where his partner had gone. He found his brain tenors and followed it to the conference room. He was going to barge right in when he saw who Felix was sitting with. Geary had her hair pulled back in an intricate braid that was wound around her head. She wore baggy clothes and had her knees pulled up to her chest. A cup of coffee steamed in front of her.

"How long have you know?" Felix asked. He stared across the table right out the tinted window.

"Uh… since I was about fifty-something. I went home because my mother was ailing. Before then she hadn't said a word. She wanted to make sure I knew in case I got into some trouble. That was when the pieces fell into place," she replied.

Demetri wasn't putting the puzzle pieces together. He had no idea what they were talking about. Felix could talk for hours about books and music or about nothing. It would make complete sense if they were talking about nothing just now.

Felix flexed his fingers as if they were stiff. "Your mother was a bright woman."

"Did she know you were a vampire when she slept with you?"

He nodded. "She knew. She was okay with it even when I told her that I wouldn't be returning. That was before I knew vampires could impregnate human women. I came back a few years later and you were running around with Jeremy. She told me the truth then."

"How did you hide it from Aro?"

"It wasn't easy. Luckily he trusted me enough not to ask me for my arm. I was happy in the Guard so I wasn't going to leave. There was no doubt that I was going to remain with them. I even hid it from Demetri, and we've been partners for centuries."

"When did you tell them?"

"After the Cullens brought their hybrid to the public. I told Aro, Caius and Marcus in their chambers. No one but them knows. I didn't want the fact that I had a daughter get out."

Demetri jerked back from the door in shock. Geary was Felix's daughter? How had he missed that? Well, Felix wasn't exactly the sharing type. They had been partners for the last two thousand years. They knew everything about each other. So why hadn't Felix felt it important enough to tell him he had fathered a hybrid?

Simple: he wouldn't have believed him. Felix wasn't like him. He didn't sleep with humans or play with his food. He was a good member of the Guard. He beat Demetri and Heidi in the morals department. Now to find out he had a two hundred ten year old daughter. He stuck his ear against the doors again.

"I noticed when I came to Volterra sixty years ago you about flipped your lid," Geary said with a slight laugh in her voice.

"Imagine my surprise when the double doors opened and my daughter walked into the room. I couldn't very well say anything. Then you asked permission to open a sanctuary. It was ingenious really. Aro was surprised," Felix replied.

"You know Demetri's going to be very upset with you when he finds out. I mean the two of you have been companions for two millennia."

Felix seemed surprised. "How do you know that?"

"Aro has a big mouth." She downed the remainder of her coffee. "I found out when my mom died. She wanted us to have a relationship, but I refuse to join the Guard just to be near you."

"I understand. We'll figure something out."

Geary nodded and stood. Felix, ever the gentleman, stood with her. She yanked the doors open and stared at him. A smile tilted her mouth but she kept right on walking. Felix emerged next and cast him an amused look.

"So you heard all of that?" he asked.

"Yeah. Glad to find out my partner has a daughter and I didn't know about it," Demetri said, his voice taking on a high and mighty tone. It was more pronounced by his accent.

"To be fair, I didn't tell anyone until recently."

"It doesn't make me feel any better."

Felix stopped him from moving anywhere. "You're not going after my daughter as your lover. I won't have it because I know how you use women for your own pleasure."

"She can decide who she wants to see on her own."

"She can decide, but don't force her. I will not be afraid to take you on."

Demetri knew his partner wasn't kidding. Felix was somewhat of a softy in the Guard but he was a fierce fighter. If he was forming a relationship with Geary, he was going to even more vicious because it was unchartered territory. Felix didn't have many people he cared about, Demetri included because they had been partners for so long. So when the vampire got something in his head, it was hard to erase it.

Finally he nodded. "All right. If she wants to get to know me, I'll let it be on her terms."

Felix took a minute to see if he was lying. One thing about Demetri was that when he gave his word he usually meant it. There were only a couple of times when he hadn't meant it because he had been working some angle.

They were getting ready to go to work when there was a commotion down the hall. Jeremy and Dalia were running in the direction when the two stepped in the hallway. They jumped over them and continued running. Geary followed behind them a minute later except she shoved them out of the way.

When they got down the hallway, they were face with the rear entrance to the building. A few of the hybrids were buzzing with energy. They had to be psychically enhanced due to their parentage. A few were humans and they had weapons pointed out the door. Jeremy went out the door with Dalia right behind him. The gunmen tensed until he came back in. He handed off a girl to Geary and stared out the door.

"What's going on?" Felix asked.

"Someone's been attacked outside the doors of Sanctuary," one of the other hybrids answered. He turned and looked at them. "Dorian, son of Santiago."

"Pleasure," Demetri said. "How many siblings do you have?"

"Two. My twin sisters are two of the gunmen by the door. They're Annabelle and Izabelle. They came with me when I immigrated about twenty years ago."

Geary turned as Dalia wrapped her arm around the woman and started through the group of people. "Belle, do you have eyes on the attacker?"

One of the gunmen shook her head. "No, I lost them after Jeremy ran out."

"Jer?"

"I have his scent. We can always find him," Jeremy replied as he began to round his S.W.A.T. team up. "Dalia's already called Dr. Schultz. He should be here in twenty minutes."

"All right." She sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Everyone, listen up a few minutes. Jeremy and Dalia will handle the woman and doctor. I need any one that is working in the bar this morning to help out in place of them. We'll figure out things later tonight so expect a meeting. Get to work."

As everyone filtered out, she motioned Demetri and Felix off to the side. She waited until everyone was gone before she spoke.

"This is where your talents come in," she said. "The woman who was attacked was human. From what I gleaned from Jeremy in passing, it was a vampire who attacked her. She worked here. She has a young son and lives in a small apartment."

"What do you need?" Felix asked.

"Track him."

They looked at each other and nodded. They had been itching for a good fight since they had gotten here. Finally they were getting their chance. For the first time they were hunting someone who had caused harm to someone else.

"Talk to Jeremy before you want to go out. He'll provide a little protection from the hunters," she said.

"You got it," Felix said. "We'll be able to find him if we leave soon."

Geary nodded. Felix gave Demetri a look and the tracker walked away. He watched something pass between the two ending with Geary nodding. Felix rubbed her shoulders then followed Demetri.

"You told her not to leave the building didn't you?" the shorter vampire asked.

"Yep."


End file.
